Filling-funnel plug.



Patented July 24, 1917.

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WIZNESSESL' ATM/REY.

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OTTO BERNZ, 0F ll'El/VABK, NEW JERSEY.

ermine-runner. Price.

11 234 269; Specification 01 Letters latent.

Patented July 2st, 1191 *5.

Application fed November 30, 19 14;. Serial No. 874,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Urro Brutus, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Newark, in the county of i ls-sex and State of NewJersey,.l1ave invented certain new and useful improvements in l illingFunnel .ljlugs, of which the'following is a specificatron.

Tlhis inventionrelates to filling tunnels such as are employed on thereservoirs or tanks of plumbers "torches, furnaces and the likei'or thepurpose of pouring gasolene or other fluid thereinto, the funnel beingfixed or stationary on the tank, reservoir or the like and threaded atits small end to receive a closing plug. It well-lmown. in i the trade,dirt accumulates in the tunnel while the torch or other article beingused, and when the plug is removed and gasolene or the like pouredin itwashes such dirt into the tank or reservoir: The dirt thus pass ing intothe reservoir is liable to clog the burner or be otherwiseobjectionable, will be understood.

Theobjects ol the invention are to prevent dirt from collecting in sucha. filling tunnel;

to position and remove the protector by means of the filling plug; tomaintain the appearance of a funnel and avoid bulkiness; toleavethewalls of the protector which engage the funnel free and unconnectedtransversely thereof; to provide means for supporting the plug whilerefilling the reservoir; to conduct air out of the reservoir, or

" rent it, during refilling; to secure siniplicity of construction andoperation, and to obtain otheradvantages and results as may be broughtout in the following description. Referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate thesan'ie partsthroughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a filling funnel having seatedtherein a plug made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the plug in position for refilling;

Fig. is a detail illustration. of means for preventing complete remevaloi the filling plug away from the tank or reservoir.

Fig. st is a plan view of the plug; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of afilling plug from which. the support and vent means are omitted.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in saiddrawings, the reference numeral 1 imlicalcs a reservoir for any shank.

fluid, such as vgas olene, said reservoir being provided with a fillingfunuel z. Said funing funnel 2, and at the intersection of the handleandshank is a transverse shoulder 8 of greater diameter than thethreaded The threaded shank 5 of the screw plug projects through asuitable aperture in the bottom 9 of a protector 10, the shoub. der 8 ofthe shank rcsting against the inside of the bottom 9 andbeing securedthereto in any suitable manner, such as by soldering. Preferably thisprotector 10 is made of sheet metal, to conform to the shape of theinside of the funnel, and the handle '7 is thus within or partiallywithin said protector, as shown. Obviously the protector 10 will beremoved from and applied to the funnel with the filler plug (3 when thesame is removed or inserted in place, and as the plug is only removedfor short periods when the tank is being filled or the like, theprotector remains upon the funnel practically all the time and catchesthe dirt which would otherwise got into said. funnel and be washed intothe reservoir as the'latter is filled. lreferably, for this reason, theprotector 10 fits closely within the funnel and curls ciroumferentiallyover the top edge thereof, as at 11, see Fig. 1, so that no foreignmatter will settle or work in between the twd parts.

It will be noted that the protector is secured to the filling plug onlyat the edges of its bottom aperture which receives the filling plug, andthat the walls of the pro tector which are adapted to cover the interiorof the tunnel a re otherwise free not only from the filling pl ug butalso from any connection or bracing whatever transversely of the funnel.This leaves the protector, which is made of light sheet metal, free toyield or change its shape somewhat to engage the funnel, as for instanceif the funnel had received a dent or blow which made it other than oftrue circular circumference. Obviously under such conditions, the wallsof the protector of my improved cons :tion

could spring more or less with respect to the funnel;

' A washer 12 is shown on the threaded shank of the screw plug, belowthe protector 10, to obtain a tight closure.

Referring especially to Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown depending from thebottom of 1 the shank 5 of the screw plug 6 a refill vent tube 13. Thistube is given a crook 14 or curved back on itself at its upper end so asto open downwardly, and is shown secured to the. plug at the rounded endthus provided, prefeii'ably by soldering. However, the crook 14 is ofsmall enough radius of curvatureso that the tube does not projectradially of the threaded shank 5 beyond the same, and thus does notinterfere with the insertion and removal of the screw plug.

.Obviously when the plug is screwed into place the tube 13 lies entirelywithin the reservoir, so that no leakage or escape of the contents ofthe reservoir results., When the screw plugis removed forrefilhng thetank, the tube 13 isof course drawn upwardly through the threaded smallend 3 of the filling funnel, and allowed to rest within the funnel 2with its crook 14 hooked over the upper edge of the funnel, as shown inFig. 2. It is preferable to have the tube 1 not much longer than thedepth of the fun nel, so that the lower end of said tube pro- 7 jectsjust inside of the reservoir when the the lower end of I I pieceof sheetmetal with ears 16, 16 adapted through. the threa upper end: is hookedfunnel. I i As the reservoir is filled with fluid, the vent tube forms afree passage for the escape of the displaced air or other gas, so thatover the top of the said air or gas does not have to bubble up beingcompletely removed from the filling funnel by the bent t be 13 passingclear up small and 3 of the filling funnel, and v means I have sho ndetent 15 hinged to tuba so as to readily pass into the IGSBIVl u: butprevent outward escape. As shown, this detent comprises a to lie onopposite sides of the tube 13 and receive a hinge pin "1.7 through saidtube, a

tongue 18 between said ears being bent out to lie against the tube asstop and hold the .n illustration of such body part of the detent at anangle to the tube.

, Any other suitable construction adapted to the purpose might beemployed however, and in fact various modifications may be made in themanufacture of my de, vice without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. I therefore do not wish to be understood asrestricting myself except as required by the following claims whenconstrued in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: i I

1. The combination with a filling funnel plug having a threaded portionadapted to screw into the bottom opening of the funnel and a handleportion adapted to be centrally disposed in thefunnel at a distance fromthe walls thereof, of a protector adapted to lie inside the funnel andcover the walls thereof, said protector being apertured centrally of itsbottom to receive the filling plug and secured thereto at theedgesofgsaid aperture,

the walls of the protector which are adapted to engage the funnelotherwise free andunconnected transversely of the funnel.

2. Thecombination with a filling funnel plug having a reduced threadedportion adapted to screw into'the bottom opening of the funnel andprovidinga shoulder above the same, of a protector adaptedto fit againstthe interior of the funnel and having a truncated end apertured toreceive the threaded portion gof the plug and fit against the shoulderabove the same, said protector secured to said plug and projectingtherefrom at an angle and adapted to be clamped at its transverse endportion beneath the said shoulder-1 of the plug.

3. The combination with a filling funnel having at its bottom a threadedaperture with an annular shoulder therearound in a transverseplane,[anda plug having av reduced threaded portion to screw into the bottomopening of the funnel and an annular shoulder thereabove parallel to thesaid shoulder of the funnel, of a protector adapted to fit iagainst theinterior of the funnel and having a truncated end apertured to receivethe threaded "portion of the plug and fit against the shoulder above thesame, said protector secured to said plug and projecting therefrom at anangle and adapted to be clamped at its transverse end portion betweenthe shoulder of the plug and the bottomof the funnel.

4:. The combination with a filling plug, of a vent tube secured tothcinner end of said plug, said vent tube having its opposite ends open andbeing adapted to support the plug when withdrawn and to enter in advanceof the plug when'the same is inserted.

5; The combination with a filling plug, of a vent tube having a curvedend secured to the inner end of said plug so as to leave both ends ofthe tube open, said vent tube being eas es disposed longitudinally ofthe plug with its curved end within the circumference thereof and thusadapted to enter any aperture that the plug will enter.

6. In a filling funnel plug, the combination with a plug, ofa vent tubehaving a hooked end secured to the plug so as to expose both ends of thetube passage, said vent tube extending longitudinally of the plug withits curved end Within the circumference thereof so as to enter anyaperture Which the plug will enter and being long enough so that whenthe plug is Withdrawn the vent tube will at its upper end hook over theouter edge of the filling funnel Without withdrawing its lower end.

7. In a filling funnel plug, the combination with a plug, of a vent tubeprojecting longitudinally from the inner end of the plug and adapted toenter any aperture which the plug will enter, said vent tube having itsopposite ends open and being long enough to enable the plug whenwithdrawn to be hooked over the edge of the filling funnel WithoutWithdrawing the lower end of the vent tube.

8. The combination With a filling plug, of a vent tube secured to theinner end of said plug adapted to enter any aperture which the plug willenter, and a hinged stop at the end of said vent tube away from the plugadapted to swing in a direction toward the plug close to the tube and toresist swinging in the opposite direction beyond a position atbwhich itprojects outwardly from the tu e.

9. The combination with a filling funnel, of a plug for closing thesmall end of said funnel, a cup-shaped protector carried by said plugadapted to fit Within the larger end of the funnel and overlie the uppercircumferential edge thereof for excluding'dirt from between saidprotector and funnel, said plug having means for applying the same tosaid funnel and removing it therefrom, and means for supporting saidplug and protector upon the funnel out of contact With any contaminatingsurface While the plug is removed from said funnel, said means providinga vent for the reservoir while supporting said cap.

OTTO BERNZ.

Witnesses:

HOWARD P. KING, Minnelli) E. BRooKs.

